Hammock



Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED SATES A'i' QFFHQE New England BeddingCompany,

Medford,

Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 2, 1933, SerialNo. 659,296

1 Claim.

This invention relates to articles of furniture of the general typecomprising a seat or bed portion supported for substantially continuousback and forth movement, usually of comparatively small amplitude. Couchhammocks are representative of articles of this general class and aretherefore selected for illustrating the features of this invention.These hammocks are commonly provided with a seat' having a framecomprising substantially rigid longitudinal and transverse members andthe seat may be suspended for oscillatory movement between a pair ofstandards resting upon the floor and usually so connected together torender the entire device portable. It is highly desirable that devicesof this general class be capable of smooth and easy oscillatory motionfree from jerkiness and also from impacts of the seat frame which arelikely to disturb the comfort of the user.

In accordance with this invention these objectives may be attained byproviding a two-point support for the movable frame or seat member, theparts preferably being so constructed and arranged as to provide onlyone pivotal support at each end of the movable frame with the pivotsarranged with their axes similarly disposed substantially in the samevertical plane. The movable frame is supported from these pivots bysuspension members which are substantially rigid in the direction ofmotion or swing thereof. When the movable frame is suspended in thismanner a smooth and easy swinging movement is assured since the framealways oscillates or swings about the same longitudinal axis andjerkiness or other irregular movement which is so common in similardevices having, for example, four points of suspension or having chains,cables or other suspension members Which are yielding as distinguishedfrom rigid in the direction of motion of the movable seat frame.

An important feature of this invention resides in an improved andsimplified means for preventing engagement and/or impacts between themovable seat frame and objects such as the supporting standards whichare disposed in close proximity to its normal path of movement and whichif struck by the moving seat frame may transmit an objectionable shockor jar to the occupant. For this purpose resilient means may be disposedbetween the movable frame and supporting standards or othersubstantially rigid structure. In order that this resilient means mayoffer minimum resistance to motion of the movable seat frame, the partsmay be so constructed and arranged that the resilient means acts betweenthe stationary supports and the movable frame only through the pivotalsupports or connections between these members, thereby assuring minimumresistance to continued motion of the seat frame. Conveniently, themembers 5 carrying the pivotal supports such as the upper ends of thesupporting standards, or the upper end portions of the movablesuspension members, or portions of both the standards and the suspensionmembers may be of resilient material 101 in the form of flat leafsprings normally under tension to resist the least tendency of the seatframe to move longitudinally. These resilient members therefore areeffective instantaneously to restore the movable frame to its propercourse, 5 and they are adapted to accomplish this with a comparativelyeasy motion consistent to the comfort of the occupant.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 isa front side elevation of a couch hammock;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the hammock shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating in vertical section the pivotalmounting or support for one end of the movable seat frame.

In the illustrated embodiment the couch hammock comprises a stationaryframe formed of end standards IE3 and H, each of these standardscomprising vertically disposed angle bars l2 and i3 arranged face toface and joined at their upper ends by a crosspiece such as the angle l4and connected at their lower ends by a comparatively long floor anglel6. These end standards it and H may be connected together to form aunitary frame in any usual or approved manner, preferably by means ofthe longitudinally disposed angle bar II which may be connected at itsends to a centrally disposed vertical angle bar l8 secured between thefloor angle it and an angle bar I9 extending between and united to thebars l2 and i3 of the standard. The space between the verticallydisposed angles 12 and it of each standard may be closed by a webcomprising a piece of sheet metal 28 extendlng substantially from thelower transverse angle is to the top transverse angle i l and secured asby spot welding along the flanges of the angles l2 and I3.

The movable seat frame comprises longitudinally and transverselydisposed structural members such as angle bars 2! and 22, respectively,arranged to form the seat proper or bed portion. The back member forthis frame may have any approved construction, but preferably comprises55 the end angles 23 and 24 connected by longitudinally disposed strips26, and a top angle bar 21 which may have its end portions curveddownwardly, as shown. This back member may also include one or moretransversely extending strips such as the member 28 disposedintermediate the ends of the longitudinal members to assure a rugged anddurable construction. The back member may be joined to the seat or bedportion of the movable frame by any approved construction (not shown).The movable seat frame is provided with end portions in the. form ofmetal sheets 29 secured as by spot welding to the back and seat portionsand having their upper edges bent or otherwise formed to providesuitable arm rests, as indicated at 3|.

In order to provide for supporting this movable seat frame foroscillatory or swinging movement, suspension members 32 and 33 aresecured to the end members 29, preferably by spot welding and arrangedto extend upwardly at an angle to each other. These suspension memberscome substantially together at their upper ends where they may beintegrally joined, as shown, or otherwise formed to provide aunitarymounting for a pivot bolt 34, Fig. 3. This pivot bolt has a journalportion 36 which fits within the inner race of an anti-friction bearingsuch as the ball bearing 37, the latter being mounted in an anglebracket 38 secured to the transverse angle M.

It will be seen that this construction provides for suspending themovable or swinging seat frame from only two points of supportcomprising the pivotal mountings provided by the pivot bolts 34 and thecooperating anti-friction bearings 31, these parts being arranged sothat the pivotal axes are disposed at substantially the same elevationand substantially in the same vertical plane. This assures ease ofoperation since each end of the movable frame is adapted to swing aboutthe same axis through its entire amplitude of motion. The suspensionmembers 32 and 33 are substantially rigid in a direction transversely oftheir length or in the direction of motion of the movable frame andtherefore these suspension members serve to maintain the movable frameat the same radius from the pivotal axes during the full amplitude ofmotion of this frame. This avoids the irregular motion and changes inacceleration due to the change over from one pivotal support to anotherwhich occurs in similar devices having, for example, two or more pointsof support for each end of the movable frame. As the suspension members32 and.33 are in the form of solid bars or strips they are continuallyeffective for maintaining the movable frame at the same radiusabout itspivotal mountings. In this respect these suspension members are superiorto chains, cables and like elements which permit one side of the frameto tilt upwardly or otherwise to move out of its proper course orpartake of irregular motion. In contrast it will be evident that thisinvention adds considerably to the stability and riding qualities anddue to these improvements a device according to this invention is welladapted to continue its motion with ease and comfort to the user.Moreover, the movable frame may be kept in motion indefinitely with butlittle effort.

Resilient means are also provided for restraining the movable frame fromlongitudinal movement. In order to incorporate this resilient means intoa simple and eflicient construction of this kind without furthercomplication or adding materially to the expense of the construction,

the suspension members 32 and 33 are made of resilient material, beingsimilar to and in fact constituting flat leaf springs with their lowerparts rigidly secured to the ends of the seat frame,

as described, and the parts are so proportioned and arranged that afterthese suspension members have been secured to the movable frame, theytend normally to extend upwardly preferably in substantially verticalplanes spaced from the bearings 31. In mounting these suspension memberson the stationary supports, the upper ends of the suspension members areflexed or bowed outwardly within their elastic limit so as to placethese members under tension as they are brought into alignment with thebearings 31 and mounted therein. Once the device is assembled in thismanner the tension of the bowed upper portions of the suspension memberscauses the latter to be effective continually for restraininglongitudinal sway of the movable frame, and should any such movementtake place it is practically impossible for it to become of sufficientmagnitude to cause the swinging frame to strike or even to rub againstthe stationary supports or other nearby stationary objects. Moreover itis assured that any longitudinal sway of whatever proportions will becorrected by resilient or spring action, which is in harmony with andcontributes materially to an easy and comfortable motion. It will alsobe evident that the improved construction and arrangement, whereby theresilient means is caused to act through the pivotal connections,further contributes to the simplicity of the device. It will also beapparent from this disclosure that the resilient means may beincorporated in the upper ends of the stationary 9 standards or in thesestandards as well as in the suspension members. In some cases it may bedesirable to cause the resilient means to function independently of thesuspension or supporting members as by attaching separate springs to thepivot bolts or to the mounting thereof.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration only and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall within the scope of. the appended claim.

I claim:

A hammock comprising a pair of rigidly mounted spaced supportingmembers, means carried by said supporting members providing pivotalantifriction mountings disposed in substantially the same horizontalplane, a movable carriage member disposed between said supportingmembers, and suspension means for supporting said carriage member forswinging movement, said means comprising a pair of V-shaped leaf springsrigidly secured at their divergent ends to the ends of said carriagemember and at their convergent ends to said pivotal mountings, said leafsprings being inwardly bowed and substantially rigid in the direction ofthe swing of said carriage member and being flexible transversely of thedirection of swing of said carriage member thereby to restrain saidcarriage member from movement transversely of its direction of swing.

GUSTAVE A. JOHNSON.

